Well I just picked up a Winchester Model 70 in .416 Rem. Mag. It is a about a 95 version with the classic action and has Super Express on the floorplate.

As with so many big bores it has been shot very little and is in "super" shape.

Any of you guys had one and if so, any issues I should watch out for?

Thanks

I only had once issue: a handload that was too hot failed to extract while on the range. The ejector simply popped off rim and I was stuck until I could get a cleaning rod to bang it out. So much for a claw extractor never failing.

I had mine bedded. Shoots great - has killed a pile of game in Africa but none outside of Africa. Never had any issues outside of the self induced too hot handload.

quote:

Originally posted by Skyline:
Well I just picked up a Winchester Model 70 in .416 Rem. Mag. It is a about a 95 version with the classic action and has Super Express on the floorplate.

As with so many big bores it has been shot very little and is in "super" shape.

Any of you guys had one and if so, any issues I should watch out for?

Thanks

yes bedding for sure.

any new DG plans coming soon, Kelly?

The only issue I had with both my 375 and 416 were the very hard recoil pads. I switched them out for Decelerator pads, then switched out stocks to HS Precision Sporter models.
Never looked back after that switch.
I no longer have the 416RM, bought a CZ 550 in 416 Rigby instead, I like low pressure rounds.

Cheers.

Bought a LH M70 Classic stainless/synthetic in 416 Rem for my oldest son. Works grest, no issues. Had the barrel shortened to 22", whole thing CeraKoted. Nice gun It's wearing a Leupold 1.5-5x scope with Talley QR ringa also Cerakoted

quote:

Originally posted by medved:

quote:

Originally posted by Skyline:
Well I just picked up a Winchester Model 70 in .416 Rem. Mag. It is a about a 95 version with the classic action and has Super Express on the floorplate.

As with so many big bores it has been shot very little and is in "super" shape.

Any of you guys had one and if so, any issues I should watch out for?

Thanks

yes bedding for sure.

any new DG plans coming soon, Kelly?

Phil....... yes bedding is usually a must and this rifle has already been bedded. I plan on tweaking it a bit.

Judging from the responses so far I am guessing there have not been too many mechanical issues surface that are inherent with this model.

As for dangerous game........ you just never know.

I have owned two M70 Safari Express rifles in .416 Rem Mag. I bought one in 2002 and the last one in 2015. Both of these rifles shot MOA at 100 yds as long as I did my part. They both held their sightin without any trouble on overseas trips. The first rifle - two trips to Africa and the latest rifle - one trip to Africa.

The second rifle apparently was made in Portugal.

For me, they are the perfect DG rifle for most hunters and the rifle/caliber performed fantastically on cape buffalo (3) and an elephant.

Good luck with your rifle.

BHB63

quote:

Originally posted by 416RigbyHunter:
The only issue I had with both my 375 and 416 were the very hard recoil pads. I switched them out for Decelerator pads, then switched out stocks to HS Precision Sporter models.
Never looked back after that switch.
I no longer have the 416RM, bought a CZ 550 in 416 Rigby instead, I like low pressure rounds.

Cheers.

I should have done that; you are right, the recoil pad is very hard - as it is on my Whitworth .375.

I have owned a couple of them and as about every rifle that gets in my hands, I fix it before I find any flaws...I cross bolted with Talley cross bolts, glass bedded them from stem to stern; on one I added an additional bedding block with a screw attach ala pre 64 Win. Added a hard but beautiful Silvers pad on one and a Pachmyer on the other..Both were excellent rifles that shot well indeed..One had a 20 inch tube and I installed barrel band sight and swivel and 3 leaf rear sight.

Nice guns IMO..but, given my druthers, I prefer a custom Mauser or pre 64..its a curmudgeon thangie!

Love mine....

Then.....



Now.....

Nice touch on the grip checkering and unusual, well thought out..I like it.

Yes very nice rifle, beautiful wood.

I thought the safari express came with decelerator pads? My .375 H&H BACO Safari Express did. Plus it's one of the smoothest functioning and most accurate rifles I own.

I had the same model, mine from the first year of reintroduction of the CRF in 416 (1994) and it had the same hard red rubber pad, which was quite punishing. A decelerator would be a definite improvement. Mine was very accurate and loved BL-C2 powder.

I have a very early one. It was bedded, had another recoil lug added, better recoil pad added and scope base screws enlarged before I got it. It's not terribly accurate (around 1.5" for three at 100 yards) compared to my other big bores, but it's okay.

The only weird thing I've experienced with mine is that it's the only gun that I've ever played with that I couldn't get it on paper by looking down the bore and moving the scope onto the centered target. It's been many years since I had to sight it in from scratch so I may remember it incorrectly, but as I recall it was consistently about 8" low at 100 when using traditional bore siting.

Mine has always feed reliably, but the previous owner may have had it worked over. He seemed thorough in getting it worked over, but he flew a plane into the ground so I never got to chat with him about who worked on the rifle or what exactly was done.

Rather than loading the initial round out of the magazine I always load the chamber out of my pocket. Maybe everyone knows this but me, but I've found on that particular rifle I'm able to get a shell to easily slip under the extractor by rolling the rifle on it's side - away from the port - as I close it. It works great and is pretty quiet.

quote:

Originally posted by Kyler Hamann:


... it was consistently about 8" low at 100 when using traditional bore siting.

Maybe you should have tried traditional boar sighting instead

I have been playing around with it a bit the last few days....... can't complain about the accuracy so far. For plinking, I got my hands on some Speer 350 grain Hot-Cor's and started out with RL 15. Keeps three under an inch without any trouble.

There are several bullets I want to get my hands on to try in this rifle......... offerings by CEB and North Fork......... but that is probably going to take a while. Not much in the way of retailers up here for those bullet companies.

In the mean time I will try and round up a couple of boxes of TSX or TTSX to work with.